For the third time in Mega Millions history, the jackpot has surpassed the $1 billion mark.
After no ticket matched all numbers drawn for Tuesday's $830 million jackpot, the Mega Millions grand prize for the next drawing on Friday, July 29, swelled to $1.02 billion — though it's certain to grow along with a surge in ticket in sales.
“We look with anticipation on the growing jackpot,” said Ohio Lottery Director Pat McDonald, current Lead Director of the Mega Millions Consortium. “Seeing the jackpot build over a period of months and reaching the billion-dollar mark is truly breathtaking. We encourage customers to keep play in balance and enjoy the ride. Someone is going to win.”
The numbers for Tuesday's drawing are 29, 63, 66, 7 and 60 with a Megaball of 15.
Get DFW local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC DFW newsletters.
Eight tickets matched the five white balls to win $1 million: two each in New Jersey and New York, plus one each in California, Florida, Illinois and Ohio. The ticket sold in Ohio is worth $3 million because the winner had included the Megaplier, which was 3X on Tuesday.
Friday's estimated $1.02 billion jackpot is for a winner who takes the annuity option, paid out over 30 years. Most players choose the cash option, which will be $602.5 million, of which about one-third would go toward federal taxes with possibly more for state taxes, depending on where the buyer lived.
The record Mega Millions prize is $1.536 billion, sold in Oct. 2018. Powerball holds the world record for a jackpot worth $1.586 billion, which was shared among three winning tickets on Jan. 13, 2016.
U.S. & World
Even as the big prize has increased, the odds of winning all that money have remained the same — a staggering one in 302.5 million.
Mega Millions is played in 45 states as well as Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The game is overseen by state lottery officials.
